The Tour

We're at 30 weeks now.  I remember when Kaitie turned 30 weeks and I thought omigosh, she's so close!  Now I'm there, and it feels so strange to know that she's almost here.  I'm always thinking about what she might look like and wondering how big she really is right now, wiggling inside of me.  I wonder when she'll actually decide to make her way into the world and how long she'll take to emerge.

We did the hospital tour today.  I'm really glad we're having Kaila at Sharp Mary Birch.  It seems like a great hospital.  The tour guide said they deliver 8,000 babies a year there, and I just read that there are more babies born here compared to any other hospital in California. 

The tour started in the lobby, and only two other expectant moms plus their guests were with us.  She went over what to do when you go into labor, and gave some very useful information.  We first went to the New Beginnings Boutique, where they sell breast feeding accessories.  They also have books and videos for rent and a little area where you can sit and read if you want.  There's a little changing room if you want to bring your baby in and need to try anything out.  There are people trained to help with breast feeding and pumping in case you need assistance as well.  It seems like a great resource. 

The hospital wasn't very busy today, so there were rooms available for viewing in both delivery and post partum recovery areas.  The delivery room is large.  There's a couch and a rocking chair for dad to lounge and relax.  They encourage mom to stay on her feet while in labor to encourage the process until she gets the epidural.  There's a bar you can attach to the bed for mom to hold on to while she hops up on the bed and squats during contractions.  There's also usually an exercise ball to sit on and rock on while in labor.  There's also a shower which the tour guide encouraged all the moms to use since water is great for making those labor pains feel much less intense.  They also encourage as much skin contact as possible for baby, so you stay in the delivery room for a couple hours after baby is born so you can have time alone with baby and have the first breast feeding right away.

After your time in the delivery room, you make your way upstairs to the post-partum recovery room.  There are private rooms and shared rooms which are both great.  The private rooms have your own private bathroom and shower, and they let you do with the room as you will.  There's a chair that pulls out into a little bed for dad and a bassinet for baby.  Baby stays with you in the recovery room unless there's a reason (i.e. problem) why they would need to be in the nursery.  The shared rooms are pretty private as well.  A bathroom separates the rooms, and you can draw a curtain over the doorway sized opening to the shared area.  They feel almost as secluded as the private rooms.  This is where everyone can come to visit us and baby while we're at the hospital.  Hopefully we aren't here for too long, but it's not a bad place to stay.

Touring the place where Kaila will be born.. our first pregnancy class is next week.. it's all a reminder that she's almost here!!